Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sexual Misconduct Allegations: A Timeline

Cassie began dating Combs around 2007, and the two were on-and-off until calling it quits for good in 2018. The “Me & U” singer filed a lawsuit in November accusing Combs of egregious behavior with years of abuse and one instance of rape.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, attorneys for Cassie alleged she had “endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands,” including repeated beatings and forcing her to “engage in sex acts with male sex workers.”

According to the complaint, after she attempted to separate herself from him in 2018, Combs allegedly “forced her into her home and raped her while she repeatedly said ‘no’ and tried to push him away.”

Cassie claimed that she suffered “episodes of horrific abuse” during their relationship, including times when he would allegedly fly into an “uncontrollable rage” and “beat Ms. Ventura savagely.”

She also alleged in her suit that that Diddy “blew up” a car belonging to Kid Cudi in 2012 after he learned that the rapper was “romantically” interested in her.

Less than 24 hours after the lawsuit was reported, Combs and Cassie reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Terms of the deal are not known.

“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie said in a statement issued by her attorney, Douglas Wigdor. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

Wigdor also claimed that the musician had offered his client “eight figures” to prevent her from filing the lawsuit, which she rejected.

Combs responded with a statement: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.” 

A day before the New York State Adult Survivors Act expired, Combs was hit with a pair of sexual assault lawsuits. One was from an anonymous plaintiff, who claimed the music mogul sexually assaulted and beat her, while the other was filed by a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal, who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her when she was a college student in 1991. Dickerson-Neal claimed that Diddy had footage of the assault, and allegedly distributed it to others around the music industry.

With three lawsuits filed against him, Combs agreed to resign from his role at Revolt — which he helped launch in 2013 — and no longer serve as chairman of the digital media company.

“While Mr. Combs has previously no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora,” a statement from the company said. “Our focus has always been one that reflects our commitment to the collective journey of Revolt — one that is not driven by the individual, but by the shared efforts and values of our entire team on behalf of advancing, elevating, and championing our culture and that continues.”

50 Cent has been relentless in trolling Diddy throughout the obstacles in his life, and offered to buy Revolt from the Bad Boy boss after learning he was stepping aside.

“I’ll buy that from you play boy , for the low because you know Cadillac and AT&T gonna pull out,” he wrote above two photos of headlines about Diddy stepping down. “I’ll give you a few dollars for it now! Sell it to me, then we can be friends … Im serious call my phone.”

A fourth lawsuit showed up at the mogul’s doorstep in December, in which a Jane Doe person alleged she was “sex trafficked” and “gang raped” by Combs, former Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre and another individual in 2003 when she was just 17 years old.

Lawyers for Pierre did not respond to Billboard’s request for comment.

Combs released a statement on social media, denying all of the allegations levied against him.

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” he wrote. “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Eighteen brands severed ties from doing business with Combs’ E-commerce company, Empower Global, in the wake of the mounting sexual misconduct allegations against the music mogul, according to Rolling Stone.

“While this decision was difficult due [to] the reverence we once held for Mr. Combs as a leader in business and entertainment, it was clearly the correct choice,” Lenard Grier, co-founder of No One Clothiers told the magazine of pulling out of the relationship with Combs’ company. “Our brand is founded on the belief that every individual is important and worthy of respect, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, etc. The allegations against Mr. Combs are in direct conflict with these beliefs. In turn, we felt a moral imperative to end our relationship.”

Other companies that ended their relationships with Empower also gave similar statements to the magazine.

A Hulu series following Diddy’s family was scrapped in December. Sources relayed to Billboard that Diddy+7 was only in its early stages and not currently in production. The project was set to be produced for Hulu by James Corden‘s production company, Fulwell 73.

Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. worked on The Love Album: Off the Grid 2023 and filed a lawsuit against Combs in February. Rod accused Combs of sexual misconduct, assault and harassment.

He accused the musician of “groping and touching” his butt and trying to groom him into engaging in sexual acts with Combs and other individuals on his team. Lil Rod also claimed that Diddy “forced” him to “solicit sex workers” — some of whom were allegedly underage — and have them “perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs,” according to the complaint.

Jones Jr. claimed that he woke up in bed “naked, dizzy and confused” one night in February 2023 at the mogul’s Miami home with the Bad Boy entertainer and two sex workers. Rod believes he was drugged.

The lawsuit also brings up an alleged incident at Chalice Recording Studio in Hollywood from September 2022 that resulted in a man being shot following a “heated conversation” between Diddy, his son Justin and another man.

The producer is also suing Combs, UMG, Motown, Love Records and Chalice Recording Studio for providing “inadequate or negligent security” that night.

Combs’ attorney Shawn Holley denied Jones Jr.’s allegations in a statement shared with Billboard, saying that the producer was just “looking for an undeserved payday.” She continued: “We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. … We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”

Department of Homeland Security Investigations New York executed search warrants, with federal agents raiding Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes on March 25.

The Homeland Security raids were reportedly done “in connection” with an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation, according to CNN. Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York are leading the case.

“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners. We will provide further information as it becomes available,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

Combs reportedly agreed to a deal to sell his stake in Revolt TV after stepping down from his role as chairman in November amid sexual assault allegations. According to TMZ, the mogul sold his remaining shares of Revolt to an anonymous buyer. The report noted that the company will remain Black-owned. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Combs’ attorney Aaron Dyer spoke out against the “gross overuse of military-level force” in the raids of the musician’s residences, and vowed to end the “witch hunt” against his client.

“There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” Dyer told Billboard in a statement. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”

Dyer added that Diddy and his family have not been arrested and are allowed to travel how they please, even after the pair of raids.

“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” he continued. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

A 25-year-old man accused of being a drug “mule” for Diddy in a recent lawsuit was arrested at Opa-Locka Airport on March 25 at the same time Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes were being raided. Per Rolling Stone, Brendan Paul was booked on a pair of drug possession charges for cocaine and marijuana.

With some homework from internet detectives connecting the dots, Paul was identified as a former NCAA athlete who played basketball at Syracuse University from 2018 through 2020.

On May 10, Combs asked a federal judge to dismiss the Jane Doe lawsuit filed in December 2023, calling the claims that he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003 “false and hideous.” He also argued that the case was filed too late, according to the law.

“Mr. Combs and his companies categorically deny Plaintiff’s decades-old tale against them, which has caused incalculable damage to their reputations and business standing before any evidence has been presented,” read the filing. “Plaintiff cannot allege what day or time of year the alleged incident occurred, but miraculously remembers other salacious details, despite her alleged incapacitated condition.”

The filing also asked that the case be “dismissed now, with prejudice” to prevent anymore “reputational injury” and waste of judicial resources.

Amid the developments in his legal cases, the mogul emerged with a cryptic message on Instagram. “Time tells truth,” read a message posted on his Instagram May 14, which he captioned simply with, “Love.”

On May 17, 2016 surveillance footage obtained by CNN showed Combs appearing to physically assault then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during a hotel stay.

In the clip, Combs — wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist — shoved Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kicked her several times while she lay on the ground and dragged her down a hallway. He is later shown sitting in a chair, then grabbed something off of a table and appeared to throw it at her. He then walked away before turning toward Ventura once more, just as one of the elevator doors opened and someone was seen walking out.

The incident closely mirrored an assault allegation made by Ventura against Combs in her now-settled November lawsuit. “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement to Billboard shortly after the video came to light. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

On the same day the hotel video surfaced, Ventura’s husband — model Alex Fine — shared a Notes app screenshot of a self-written statement beginning with, “Men who hit women aren’t men.”

“Men who enable it and protect those people aren’t men,” the message continued. “As men violence against women shouldn’t be inevitable, check your brothers, your friends, and your family … To all the women and children, I’m sorry you live in a world where you’re not protected, and you don’t feel equal.”

“Wrote this awhile back but the words ring true not just today but everyday,” the fitness entrepreneur captioned his post. “I want my kids and every kid to live in a world that’s safe for women and girls, protects them and treats them as equals. To the women and children, you’re not alone, and you are heard. if you need help call the domestic violence hotline at (800) 799-7233.”

The office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón released a statement on Instagram May 17 explaining why the hotel video, though “disturbing,” would not directly lead to Combs being prosecuted.

“We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” it read. “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

The statement added that law enforcement has not presented the L.A. County DA’s office with “a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.”

Two days after the hotel video surfaced — and after months of maintaining his innocence in the face of numerous assault allegations against him — Combs posted a 70-second self-filmed apology on Instagram.

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” he said in the clip. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

“I went out and sought professional help,” he continued. “Had to go into therapy, into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Shortly after the 2016 hotel video surfaced, New York City mayor Eric Adams revealed in an interview that he and his associates were considering revoking the Key to the City they’d bestowed upon Combs in September 2023.

“I think all of us were deeply disturbed by watching that chilling video of the young lady being assaulted by him, and the committee and the team — we’ve never rescinded a key before, but we are now sitting down to see what the next steps forward are going to be,” he told PIX11. “We are taking everything under analysis, and the team will come back to me with a final determination.”

Crystal McKinney accused Combs of sexual assault in a lawsuit she filed against him on May 21, alleging that he had forced her to perform oral sex on him in the bathroom of a New York City recording studio in 2003.

McKinney also claimed that she was given alcohol and marijuana that she later came to believe was laced “with a narcotic or other intoxicating substance.” After the alleged assault was over, she says she “awakened in shock” to find herself in a taxi leaving the scene.

Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are Combs’ label Bad Boy Records, its parent company Universal Music Group and Combs’ clothing company Sean John Clothing, all of which McKinney claims “enabled” the alleged assault by “actively maintaining and employing Combs in a position of power” despite the fact that they allegedly “knew or should have known that Combs posed a risk of sexual assault.”

Nearly a week after the hotel video surfaced, Cassie spoke out on the footage after having previously spoken only through her attorneys. “Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those have yet to meet,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram that did not mention Diddy.

“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” she continued. “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”

Read her full statement below:

Combs was arrested in Manhattan after a grand jury indictment. Marc Agnifilo, one of the music mogul’s lawyers, confirmed the arrest to multiple news outlets — including CNN and NBC News — late on Sept. 16. “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” he said, calling his client an imperfect person who is not a criminal. “To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”